One Plus One

Starred review from September 29, 2014
In a small English town, Jess struggles to support Tanzie, her young daughter, and Nicky, the teenage son of her estranged husband. Tanzie, a math genius, gets a partial scholarship to a prestigious private school. In order to afford the remaining tuition, the family sets its hopes on Tanzie winning a math tournament with a hefty first-prize award—but the competition
is in Scotland, and the car breaks down before they even get out of town. Their unlikely savior is Ed, a geeky software millionaire. The road trip that follows is full of comic mishaps, poignant moments, and a slowly developing romance between Ed and Jess. The characters, each voiced by a different reader, take turns narrating the chapters. Together the ensemble is pitch-perfect. Elizabeth Bower’s marvelous performance makes Jess a deeply relatable, lovable, flawed character that listeners will root for. Ben Elliot is equally excellent as befuddled Ed, wondering how he got into this crazy situation and gradually realizing his feelings for Jess. Nicola Stanton perfectly captures the innocent young voice of Tanzie: her voice fills with pure joy and enthusiasm as Tanzie does math problems. With memorable characters brought to life by superb narrators, and a well-paced mix of comedy, tragedy, and romance, this is an audiobook that listeners will thoroughly enjoy. A Viking/Pam Dorman hardcover.

May 5, 2014
Bestselling British author Moyes (Me Before You) blends a sobering commentary on the widening gap between haves and have-nots into this quirky tale of lopsided families finding the courage to love. Jess, barely able to make ends meet as a house cleaner after her husband, Marty, walks out, enlists the help of rich client Ed to drive her math-genius daughter Tanzie to a competition. If Tanzie wins, the prize will be enough to pay for her to attend a top-notch school. Along with Jess’s Goth stepson, Nicky, who is Marty’s son, and the slobbering family dog, Norman, the misfits cram into Ed’s car for an alternately hilarious and heartbreaking adventure. With side trips to visit Ed’s dying father and Jess’s now-estranged husband, the travelers learn to reconcile with pasts they can’t change and futures they’re afraid to imagine. “Good things happen to good people,” Jess insists. “You just have to keep faith.” There’s never anything predictable about stubbornly optimistic and protective Jess and her oddball kids, or the distracted Ed and his disjointed work-family relationships. It’s exactly that quality that makes this offbeat journey so satisfying, and Moyes’s irrepressible flaws-and-all characters so memorable. Agent: Sheila Crowley, Curtis Brown.